Projecting Broncos’ secondary depth chart before the NFL draft

Here’s a look at the Broncos’ depth in the secondary going into the NFL draft.

With the 2020 NFL draft now just one week away, here’s a look at the Broncos’ projected secondary depth chart as it stands right now:

Cornerback	Safety	Safety	Dime	Cornerback
Bryce Callahan	Kareem Jackson	Justin Simmons	Duke Dawson	A.J. Bouye
Davontae Harris	Trey Marshall	Alijah Holder	Shakial Taylor	De’Vante Bausby
Isaac Yiadom	P.J. Locke	Kahani Smith	Tyvis Powell

Denver has a pretty good group of starters but the team is lacking depth across the board. If any of the team’s starters are injured (like Callahan was last year), the secondary will suffer greatly.

After losing Chris Harris to the Chargers during free agency, the Broncos have a big hole at cornerback. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the team use one of their first picks in the draft on a cornerback.

Denver also needs more depth at safety. Simmons should be a reliable defensive back for years to come (assuming he agrees to a contract extension) but Jackson is 32 years old and will need to be replaced in the coming years.

The Broncos should target a cornerback early and add a safety in the mid-rounds of the draft next week. Denver will have 10 picks to use.

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Broncos’ updated cornerback depth chart after A.J. Bouye trade

After the Broncos agreed to trade for A.J. Bouye, Denver’s cornerback depth chart is starting to shape up.

The Broncos have agreed to trade a fourth-round pick to the Jaguars in exchange for cornerback A.J. Bouye. The deal won’t become official until March 18 but we can already start imagining what Denver’s secondary will look like after Bouye officially joins the roster.

The Broncos are not going to tender De’Vante Bausby but that doesn’t necessarily mean they won’t bring him back. Denver should be able to re-sign Bausby for less than what a tender would cost. So with that in mind, we have Bausby as part of the depth chart even though he’s not under contract.

Chris Harris is not included on the depth chart, though. It’s possible that the Broncos could re-sign Harris but it appears unlikely to happen. Cyrus Jones and Davontae Harris seem to be candidates to be re-signed but they’re not on the current depth chart.

CB1: A.J. Bouye (6-0, 191 pounds) is entering his eighth season in the NFL and he seems to be a perfect fit for Vic Fangio’s defense. Bouye earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2017 after recording six interceptions and fans in Denver can only hope that he returns to top form under Fangio.

CB2: Bryce Callahan (5-9, 188 pounds) missed all of last season with a foot injury but Broncos fans shouldn’t overlook him. Callahan is doing better now than he was at this point last spring and he has experience playing under Fangio. In 2018, Callahan totaled two sacks and two interceptions.

CB3: De’Vante Bausby (6-2, 190 pounds) played in the AAF last spring before reuniting with Fangio in Denver (sensing a trend?). He emerged as a quality cornerback last season before suffering a scary injury. Bausby is now healthy again and could be a good CB3 or excellent CB4 in 2020.

CB4: Duke Dawson (5-10, 198 pounds) was selected by the Patriots in the second round of the 2018 draft and later traded to the Broncos for a late-round pick. He was a serviceable nickelback last season and should have no problem winning a rotational spot in the secondary this offseason.

CB5: Isaac Yiadom (6-1, 190 pounds) was selected by Denver in the third round of the 2018 draft and has failed to live up to his draft status since then. He can’t be relied on to be one of the team’s top cornerbacks but he could provide depth in 2020.

CB6: Shakial Taylor (6-0, 181 pounds) was claimed off waivers by the Broncos last November and didn’t dress for any games. Denver clearly saw something in him and wanted to stash him for the future. This offseason, Taylor will get a shot to prove he deserves some playing time.

CB7: Alijah Holder (6-2, 188 pounds) signed with the Broncos as a college free agent last spring and spent his rookie season on the practice squad. With Will Parks not expected to return, Holder might have a better chance to make the roster if he switches to safety.

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Broncos 2019 positional grades: Cornerback

The days of the ‘No Fly Zone’ are long gone and this year’s cornerbacks grade for the Denver Broncos reflects it.

The cornerback position is one of the most interesting areas on the entire roster of the Denver Broncos.

Once a major strength of the team back in the ‘No Fly Zone’ days, the Broncos have been searching for the right combination of players at the cornerback position for the last several seasons.

The team tried many players at cornerback last year, including some guys the team never planned on having to use. This was largely due to the fact that the team’s big free agent signing, Bryce Callahan, ended up missing the entire season.

The Broncos also signed Coty Sensabaugh and he suited up for four games but played sparingly before being released before the season ended. He will not be graded here.

The team has players it will try to integrate into the defense next season along with Callahan, such as Cyrus Jones and Alijah Holder. But none of those players earned grades for the 2019 season, so let’s look back at the year for those that did.

Chris Harris

Stats

Tackles: 56

Tackles for loss: 1

Interceptions: 1

Pass deflections: 6

Forced fumbles: 1

Harris didn’t have terrible numbers last season, though he did only reel in one interception.

He has been a key component for the team’s defense for years and is one of the best cornerbacks in Broncos history. But last season, he didn’t seem to be the top-notch cover guy that we have all come to know.

Was that because of deteriorating skills or a lack of interest in playing for the Broncos any further? Those questions could be answered this offseason as Harris will be an unrestricted free agent and the growing belief among fans seems to be that he won’t be back.

Grade: B-

Isaac Yiadom

Stats

Tackles: 43

Tackles for loss: 1

Pass deflections: 4

Yiadom isn’t quite the third-round bust that former cornerback Brendan Langley turned out to be, but he certainly leaves much to be desired.

Yiadom may be able to develop into a guy the team can count on in sub-packages and to fill in at times in the future, but the team can certainly do better for a starting corner.

Grade: C-

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NFL fines Broncos cornerback Isaac Yiadom, 3 Raiders players

Broncos cornerback Isaac Yiadom was fined by the NFL after being penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct against the Raiders in Week 17.

Near the end of the Broncos’ 16-15 win over the Raiders in Week 17, a brawl broke out between the AFC West rivals. The league punished four players involved in the incident last week.

Denver cornerback Isaac Yiadom received a $14,037 unsportsmanlike conduct fine, according to The Athletic’s Nicki Jhabvala. That’s 2.324% of the $603,750 he earned during the 2019 season (salary via Spotrac.com).

In addition to Yiadom, three other players faced repercussions.

Raiders guard Josh Mauro and safety Erik Harris were fined $10,527 and $28,075, respectively, for unnecessary roughness. Oakland cornerback Nevin Lawson received the biggest punishment: a one-game suspension without pay to begin the 2020 season.

Lawson was suspended after using his helmet as a weapon in the brawl.

Yiadom (6-1, 190 pounds) was selected by the Broncos in the third round of the 2018 NFL draft out of Boston College. He hasn’t quite lived up to his draft status over the last two years, totaling just one interception and seven pass breakups in 29 games.

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